Nutrient Management Protocol
Part 10 - Outdoor Confinement Areas

• 10.1 Snow That Contains Manure
  • 10.1.1 Parameters for Snow Containing Manure from POCAs
  • 10.1.2 Bedding and Feed in Snow

10.1Snow That Contains Manure

Part 7 of the Regulation allows a person to store or use snow which has been removed from an outdoor confinement area and that contains manure subject to certain conditions.

Context - Snow that contains manure, removed from an outdoor confinement area, is known in the industry as "feedlot snow", "winter yard scrapings" or "brown sugar". This material is of extreme bulk relative to nutrient content, and is known to cause handling and storage difficulties on many operations where outdoor livestock housing is used.

10.1.1Parameters for Snow Containing Manure from POCAs:

For the purposes of Part 7 of the Regulation the snow containing manure is characterized by;

1. having originated from an outdoor confinement area;
2. the presence of ice or snow crystals;
3. the presence no other foreign materials except livestock urine, feces, feed or bedding;
4. a dry matter content of no greater than 16%
5. the material appears solid despite its low dry matter content such that this material cannot be pumped at time of handling or application, rather it can be piled or handled as a solid.

The preferred method for determining the nutrient content described above is through using pooled samples (10 litres each) which are subjected to analysis in triplicate. Sampling and laboratory methods for determining dry matter, total nitrogen and total phosphorus are outlined in the Sampling and Analysis Protocol.

10.1.2 Bedding and Feed in Snow

Snow that contains manure is permitted to contain some bedding and feed. This is in recognition of the fact that sometimes feed and bedding will become mixed in with the snow after a storm event and may be removed when the snow is removed. Not all scrapings from an outdoor confinement area will be able to meet the parameters described above. Any winter application of manure that does not meet the above guidelines must be in compliance with the regulations for winter spreading contained in Part 6 of the Regulation.